5 Myths About Libertarians: Nick Gillespie in Wash Post
The Washington Post asked me to debunk 5 Myths about Libertarians and I was happy to oblige. Among the misconceptions: that libertarians are a fringe band of "hippies of the right"; that we don't care about the poor or minorities; that we're an all-boys club; and that we're pro-drug, pro-abortion, and anti-religion.
And that we're "destroying" the Republican Party by actually insisting on, you know, constitutionally limited government. Here's a snippet:
Republicans acknowledged the need for a major reboot after the 2012 election, and that's precisely what libertarian-leaning politicians are offering. Paul has proposed a budget that cuts about $500 billion in annual spending, and he has called for reform of unsustainable entitlements and an end to overseas military adventurism. What's been dubbed his "hipster outreach program" is an attempt to appeal to a wider slice of voters than middle-class whites. Republicans "need to be white, we need to be brown, we need to be black, we need to be with tattoos, without tattoos, with ponytails, without ponytails, with beards, without," he told a New Hampshire audience in May.
That's a message that might rankle stand-pat Republicans but is likely to appeal to younger voters who, according to a recent College Republican National Committee study, want government to be smaller and more inclusive.
Related: "Is Libertarianism the next big thing?" (National Review Online).
